Does having an epidural hurt? Thoughts on having one

[StarlyBeee]

Hi all - I previously have said no way will I have a epidural cause the thought of a catheter in my back terrifies me but the closer I'm getting to giving birth the more I'm considering it. Looking for experiences - does it hurt to have the epidural put in your back and what did it feel like? Also how long after the birth were you still feeling like a dead weight

Thanks all

X

No-one gives you a good medal for going through the process with no pain relief. Be pain free and enjoy labour rather than struggle through in pain!

Well yes, if it works.

I had the epidural 18 week ago... loved it.. awesome feeling not a single pain felt.. I did have a catheter in my back as they kept topping me up.. but I didn’t feel it at all.. put it this way the pain from contractions was the worse pain everrrrr so you beg for epidural lol... if I ever had another baby I want epidural again I would never do it without xx

I just watched tv from 1cm to 10cm without feeling a single thing, and didn’t feel baby come out either.. why go thru pain when you don’t have to xx

Loved my epidural. I was shattered so it allowed me to have a little sleep before pushing. Pushing itself was calm and didn't hurt.

Not had an epidural, furthest I've carried during my 4 Pregnancies is 9 weeks, but I have had a lumbar puncture done and I'm guessing it's very similar!! Area numbed with local anaesthetic although in my case it took 2 lots for the area to feel numb. It was painful when the consultant was digging his fingers into my back to try and find where to stick the needle in but I never felt the actual needle going in. It did hit a nerve though and that sent painful electric shocks all the way into my left hip and down my left leg. I had the most horrendous upper back, chest and head pains afterwards though. The headache for around 6 weeks after. The first week I I couldn't do anything apart from vomit violently every time I moved or sat up. I spent a full week laid down smacked to the eyeballs on morphine. Couldn't sit on the toilet without throwing up so every time I needed to go to the toilet I'd have to shuffle there holding the wall, go in grab a sick bucket and sit on the toilet and throw up whilst having a wee. Although one time there wasn't any sick bowls and i ended up being sick all over the freshly cleaned toilet floor instead. They did let me use the commode a couple of times when I was severely dehydrated oh and i wet myself one morning too but I'd started throwing up as soon as I woke up and couldn't even get up out of bed I was that weak.

I don't even remember feeling any pain with the epidural, just the relief when it started kicking in!

My mum held me while my epidural was done, except for the electric shock down my leg I felt nothing but instant relief after having it done, my mum said I changed instantly from being like an animal in agony to being relaxed sat watching television. I had mine in for at least 24 hours if not longer, I can't remember it wearing off, I was in high dependency as I had HELLP & pre eclampsia after my emcs & have a feeling they left it in until the morning after for post op pain relief & to try to get my blood pressure down from being dangerously high.

Epidural was the BEST thing ever.

I've had 2x spinal block, and honestly can't remember any pain, compared to contractions, of there isn't a problem inserting it it's small fry pain wise. I had several in/out catheterisations during labour, and needed gas and air for them, but maybe more because I had to move out of a comfy position. The ones after the c sections were removed after most of the pain relief had worn off, and were a bit uncomfortable to be removed, but it's very quick. The painful bits were removing the tape they'd used to hold the tube in place and they'd stuck it to my leg pubes, and when the didn't change the bag and my bladder and the operation site were under an awful lot of pressure, they had to get a bucket to catch the over flow.